Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:I really really hope Barca is able to land Alexis Sanchez. Have been following him for last year and half, and he will be such a natural fit for Barca's style. He is damn good passer, good vision, great dribbling skills, and a fine scorer.

It's time to strengthen the bench, and with Sanchez starting, Pedro/Affelay can be the super-subs Barca needs on attack.

Villa Messi Sanchez in the front

I doubt a proven player like Pedro will want to ride the bench...

If he wants to stay at Barca, he will have to. Plenty of big-time players come off the bench on big clubs...Pedro isn't even a big-time player yet. Plus, Barca will be in 6 competitions this year, he will get good number of starts.

If hes left out of the big games like Nani, im pretty sure he'll have a problem with that imo.

Yup, only reason why Nani said he was happy at Man U was cause he was starting his vacation and was approached by the Portuguese press lol.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around Barca trying to land Sanchez and Rossi Not to mention them eying Neymar.

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:I really really hope Barca is able to land Alexis Sanchez. Have been following him for last year and half, and he will be such a natural fit for Barca's style. He is damn good passer, good vision, great dribbling skills, and a fine scorer.

It's time to strengthen the bench, and with Sanchez starting, Pedro/Affelay can be the super-subs Barca needs on attack.

Villa Messi Sanchez in the front

I doubt a proven player like Pedro will want to ride the bench...

If he wants to stay at Barca, he will have to. Plenty of big-time players come off the bench on big clubs...Pedro isn't even a big-time player yet. Plus, Barca will be in 6 competitions this year, he will get good number of starts.

If hes left out of the big games like Nani, im pretty sure he'll have a problem with that imo.

Pedro will be the super-sub...not left out completely or playin' garbage minutes. Even if he is not happy, I'd rather have Sanchez than Pedro. Many times during the season, Pedro was completely gassed and wasn't very effective.

Barca has one of the weakest bench to win ECL...and they need to have guys who will be damn good starters if called upon. Right now, their best attacking player on bench is Affelay. Barca was exceptionally lucky with injuries in 2010 season, highly unlikely it happens again in 2011.

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:I really really hope Barca is able to land Alexis Sanchez. Have been following him for last year and half, and he will be such a natural fit for Barca's style. He is damn good passer, good vision, great dribbling skills, and a fine scorer.

It's time to strengthen the bench, and with Sanchez starting, Pedro/Affelay can be the super-subs Barca needs on attack.

Villa Messi Sanchez in the front

I doubt a proven player like Pedro will want to ride the bench...

If he wants to stay at Barca, he will have to. Plenty of big-time players come off the bench on big clubs...Pedro isn't even a big-time player yet. Plus, Barca will be in 6 competitions this year, he will get good number of starts.

If hes left out of the big games like Nani, im pretty sure he'll have a problem with that imo.

Yup, only reason why Nani said he was happy at Man U was cause he was starting his vacation and was approached by the Portuguese press lol.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around Barca trying to land Sanchez and Rossi Not to mention them eying Neymar.

Doubt they get Neymar...and Sanchez is lookin' unlikely too with so many suitors to drive up the price. I hope they don't get Fab...they have Thiago. I like Rossi, but I don't know...will much rather have Sanchez. Neymar is obviously the best of that group, but is a head-case to deal with.

Honestly, Nani probably wants to play for Real Madrid. He is a damn good player, and hope he stays at ManU. I'm surprised Real is not going out to get a striker. I thought Kun will def. go to Real.

Quote:Real Madrid and Benfica have reached an agreement in principle for defender Fabio Coentrao, according to reports from Portugal.

The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and has expressed a willingness to complete a switch to the Spanish capital to team-up with Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.

Eagles president Luis Filipe Vieira reportedly negotiated with Spanish officials in Madrid earlier in the week, and Record claims a deal has been reached after the club were satisfied by an undisclosed offer. Recent speculation suggested that a fee in the region of €22m had been reached.

Coentrao is supposedly expected in Madrid to have a medical and reach an agreement over personal terms this weekend, but this has not been confirmed officially by the clubs.

A Madrid source has reacted to the reports from Portugal on Friday morning, and told the Lusa news agency: "We have no comments to make about negotiations, about players, about reports."﻿

Portuguese publication A Bola comments that the Eagles are now keen on Cristian Ansaldi of Rubin Kazan, as a replacement for the full-back.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WTF $22 for Fabio is absolutely RIDICULOUS. Top 5 Wingback in the world and we only sell him for 22 mil. Bulls**t We better get 2 or 3 players from Real is this s**t is true.

Quote:Real Madrid and Benfica have reached an agreement in principle for defender Fabio Coentrao, according to reports from Portugal.

The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and has expressed a willingness to complete a switch to the Spanish capital to team-up with Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.

Eagles president Luis Filipe Vieira reportedly negotiated with Spanish officials in Madrid earlier in the week, and Record claims a deal has been reached after the club were satisfied by an undisclosed offer. Recent speculation suggested that a fee in the region of €22m had been reached.

Coentrao is supposedly expected in Madrid to have a medical and reach an agreement over personal terms this weekend, but this has not been confirmed officially by the clubs.

A Madrid source has reacted to the reports from Portugal on Friday morning, and told the Lusa news agency: "We have no comments to make about negotiations, about players, about reports."﻿

Portuguese publication A Bola comments that the Eagles are now keen on Cristian Ansaldi of Rubin Kazan, as a replacement for the full-back.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WTF $22 for Fabio is absolutely RIDICULOUS. Top 5 Wingback in the world and we only sell him for 22 mil. Bulls**t We better get 2 or 3 players from Real is this s**t is true.

Yea, read 'bout this earlier. That's a pretty sweet deal for Real if it's just 22Mil

Blame the purchases of CR7 and Kaka 2 years ago. Inflated the prices on every player. Players that usually would go for about 6-10 mil now go for 14-19 million. Theres no way Coentrao is worth 22 million euros. Theres no way Sanchez, Pastore, and Kun are worth 35 million euros. Maybe Kun. But there is absolutely no way Coentrao, Sanchez, and the Shepherd can be worth the prices that are being asked. Theyve only had what, 1 or 2 good seasons so far in their careers? f**k Real Madrid, f**k Chelsea, and f**k Man City.

Originally posted by 1251alex:Blame the purchases of CR7 and Kaka 2 years ago. Inflated the prices on every player. Players that usually would go for about 6-10 mil now go for 14-19 million. Theres no way Coentrao is worth 22 million euros. Theres no way Sanchez, Pastore, and Kun are worth 35 million euros. Maybe Kun. But there is absolutely no way Coentrao, Sanchez, and the Shepherd can be worth the prices that are being asked. Theyve only had what, 1 or 2 good seasons so far in their careers? f**k Real Madrid, f**k Chelsea, and f**k Man City.

Prices have gone up because profits have gone up. I can't blame Real and Chelsea when Barca made a ridiculous deal for Ibra - and overpaid for Villa by at least 5-8 million euros. But, biggest reason is - profits have gone through the roofs in recent years, and with so many top clubs competing against each other - transfer fees are bound to reach insane levels.

The news/rumors in the twitter world is - Sanchez to Barca is done. His national team players have already congratulated him, and he will arrive sometime next week to sign his contract with Barca. Transfer fee of 28M got it done. Sanchez accepted to take lower salary from Barca rather than going to ManCity.

Barca is looking to sell/loan Bojan to Roma with a buy back option after 2 years.

Barca has contacted Arsenal about Cesc

I would love to have Cesc, but not at the expense of Thiago. Why not just wait another year or 2 when Xavi is done, then get Cesc? Does Barca really need more creators? I don't know how I feel about it.

I saw River Plate will have to play a game vs one of the top teams from the B league to see who will get to be in the top league and I ASSUMED they were one of the 3 worst teams in the league.

However I then looked at the standings just to see how bad they had been and they were just middle of the pack both in the Apertura and Clausura so why the hell are they possible getting sent down?

By the way this is a BIG deal, River Plate is one of the most historic soccer clubs of all time, they have racked up many championships including a world title. And I ain't even a fan, I'm a Boca Jrs. fan, and I know we're supposed to wish the worst on our rivals but them doing THIS BAD is shocking it's the equivalent of Barca/Juventus/Man U finishing bottom 3 and getting sent down to 2nd division leagues.

I know, that would NEVER happen (juve for other reasons), that's why it's so shocking that River Plate is on the edge of falling that bad

Originally posted by vrabbit:I guess I don't understand the delegation process in Argentina

I saw River Plate will have to play a game vs one of the top teams from the B league to see who will get to be in the top league and I ASSUMED they were one of the 3 worst teams in the league.

However I then looked at the standings just to see how bad they had been and they were just middle of the pack both in the Apertura and Clausura so why the hell are they possible getting sent down?

By the way this is a BIG deal, River Plate is one of the most historic soccer clubs of all time, they have racked up many championships including a world title. And I ain't even a fan, I'm a Boca Jrs. fan, and I know we're supposed to wish the worst on our rivals but them doing THIS BAD is shocking it's the equivalent of Barca/Juventus/Man U finishing bottom 3 and getting sent down to 2nd division leagues.

I know, that would NEVER happen (juve for other reasons), that's why it's so shocking that River Plate is on the edge of falling that bad

Originally posted by vrabbit:I guess I don't understand the delegation process in Argentina

I saw River Plate will have to play a game vs one of the top teams from the B league to see who will get to be in the top league and I ASSUMED they were one of the 3 worst teams in the league.

However I then looked at the standings just to see how bad they had been and they were just middle of the pack both in the Apertura and Clausura so why the hell are they possible getting sent down?

By the way this is a BIG deal, River Plate is one of the most historic soccer clubs of all time, they have racked up many championships including a world title. And I ain't even a fan, I'm a Boca Jrs. fan, and I know we're supposed to wish the worst on our rivals but them doing THIS BAD is shocking it's the equivalent of Barca/Juventus/Man U finishing bottom 3 and getting sent down to 2nd division leagues.

I know, that would NEVER happen (juve for other reasons), that's why it's so shocking that River Plate is on the edge of falling that bad

Originally posted by vrabbit:I guess I don't understand the delegation process in Argentina

I saw River Plate will have to play a game vs one of the top teams from the B league to see who will get to be in the top league and I ASSUMED they were one of the 3 worst teams in the league.

However I then looked at the standings just to see how bad they had been and they were just middle of the pack both in the Apertura and Clausura so why the hell are they possible getting sent down?

By the way this is a BIG deal, River Plate is one of the most historic soccer clubs of all time, they have racked up many championships including a world title. And I ain't even a fan, I'm a Boca Jrs. fan, and I know we're supposed to wish the worst on our rivals but them doing THIS BAD is shocking it's the equivalent of Barca/Juventus/Man U finishing bottom 3 and getting sent down to 2nd division leagues.

I know, that would NEVER happen (juve for other reasons), that's why it's so shocking that River Plate is on the edge of falling that bad

I'm a BOCA JUNIORS fan too!!!!

Vamo Boca Carajo!!!!

Se va la B!!!! Se va la B!!!! Che riBer plate!!!! Se va la B!!!!!!!

thank you for giving me absolutely ZERO answer to my question

River Plate face playoff torture as 2011 relegation battle is defined in Argentina

Argentine giant River Plate must face the agony of a two-legged playoff to avoid being relegated for the first time in its history, as a defeat against Lanus condemned it to the promocion in a thrilling finish to the 2010-11 Primera Division relegation battle.

With six teams directly fighting either to escape the direct drop or a playoff against a Nacional B side, no fewer than five games were scheduled concurrently on Saturday afternoon, including the Millo's crucial home clash against the Clausura's second-placed outfit Lanus.

The hosts went down early to a Silvio Romero goal, but saw their hopes raised when Erik Lamela equalized from close with a scruffy finish that nevertheless raised spirits in the Monumental. River subsequently pushed forward, but despite several decent chances could not find the winner. In the 93rd minute, Leandro Diaz sealed the Nunez club's fate with a delightful curling shot, which eluded Juan Pablo Carrizo to give Lanus a 2-1 victory.

River will move on to a match against Cordoba club Belgrano in the promocion, with the winner over two legs earning the right to play Primera soccer next year.

Playoff rivals Olimpo, meanwhile, ensured top-flight football next season by downing Quilmes 1-0 away from home, at the same time condemning Ricardo Caruso Lombardi's side to direct relegation. Tigre also celebrated the preservation of its Primera status, drawing 1-1 with Argentinos Juniors after falling behind to an early strike.

The other two matches played on Saturday afternoon would prove to be indecisive in determining who would join Quilmes in the Nacional B. Huracan had a torrid match at the hands of former coach and lifelong fan Antonio Mohamed; the Independiente boss appeared to have sent his idols down after handing out a fearsome 5-1 thrashing in Avellaneda, and was visibly distraught. The defeat meant that Gimnasia could book a place in the promocion with victory against Boca Juniors, and appeared to have reached its goal.

Originally posted by vrabbit:I guess I don't understand the delegation process in Argentina

I saw River Plate will have to play a game vs one of the top teams from the B league to see who will get to be in the top league and I ASSUMED they were one of the 3 worst teams in the league.

However I then looked at the standings just to see how bad they had been and they were just middle of the pack both in the Apertura and Clausura so why the hell are they possible getting sent down?

By the way this is a BIG deal, River Plate is one of the most historic soccer clubs of all time, they have racked up many championships including a world title. And I ain't even a fan, I'm a Boca Jrs. fan, and I know we're supposed to wish the worst on our rivals but them doing THIS BAD is shocking it's the equivalent of Barca/Juventus/Man U finishing bottom 3 and getting sent down to 2nd division leagues.

I know, that would NEVER happen (juve for other reasons), that's why it's so shocking that River Plate is on the edge of falling that bad

I'm a BOCA JUNIORS fan too!!!!

Vamo Boca Carajo!!!!

Se va la B!!!! Se va la B!!!! Che riBer plate!!!! Se va la B!!!!!!!

thank you for giving me absolutely ZERO answer to my question

River Plate face playoff torture as 2011 relegation battle is defined in Argentina

Argentine giant River Plate must face the agony of a two-legged playoff to avoid being relegated for the first time in its history, as a defeat against Lanus condemned it to the promocion in a thrilling finish to the 2010-11 Primera Division relegation battle.

With six teams directly fighting either to escape the direct drop or a playoff against a Nacional B side, no fewer than five games were scheduled concurrently on Saturday afternoon, including the Millo's crucial home clash against the Clausura's second-placed outfit Lanus.

The hosts went down early to a Silvio Romero goal, but saw their hopes raised when Erik Lamela equalized from close with a scruffy finish that nevertheless raised spirits in the Monumental. River subsequently pushed forward, but despite several decent chances could not find the winner. In the 93rd minute, Leandro Diaz sealed the Nunez club's fate with a delightful curling shot, which eluded Juan Pablo Carrizo to give Lanus a 2-1 victory.

River will move on to a match against Cordoba club Belgrano in the promocion, with the winner over two legs earning the right to play Primera soccer next year.

Playoff rivals Olimpo, meanwhile, ensured top-flight football next season by downing Quilmes 1-0 away from home, at the same time condemning Ricardo Caruso Lombardi's side to direct relegation. Tigre also celebrated the preservation of its Primera status, drawing 1-1 with Argentinos Juniors after falling behind to an early strike.

The other two matches played on Saturday afternoon would prove to be indecisive in determining who would join Quilmes in the Nacional B. Huracan had a torrid match at the hands of former coach and lifelong fan Antonio Mohamed; the Independiente boss appeared to have sent his idols down after handing out a fearsome 5-1 thrashing in Avellaneda, and was visibly distraught. The defeat meant that Gimnasia could book a place in the promocion with victory against Boca Juniors, and appeared to have reached its goal.

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